ominnimo

yum, yum...

2012-01-23T14:00:00.000-08:00

...enjoying these. A Christmas gift from the ladies at my creative embroidery class. I'm taking my time over them and not doing my usual guzzle. Mmm, wonder what I could use the packaging for?!*

I've spent most of yesterday and today working on this sample. I do enjoy a bit of canvaswork. This is to take to my class on Friday. I'm going to make it into a notebook, this is the cover ( a bit obvious I know, sorry).

I've used a lot of my own hand dyed threads for once.

I really want to work more with my own dyed stuff as I have a lot of fabrics with matching threads. I can feel a bit of crazy patchwork/quilting coming on!

The lovely variegated perle above is one of the Anchor threads, No. 5.

I'm not working to a pattern, it's just evolving like most of the things I do. I've been working some of my favourite stitches. Cushion stitch, Norwich stitch, rice stitch, simplified rice stich and diamond eyelet (see below).

I still have a bit to finish . I've been doing so much machining lately that I'd forgotten how long hand stitching took!

Bye for now, got to get stitching! :o)x

Hello kitty!

2012-01-12T11:47:00.000-08:00

Yes, you're right, not the usual thing for me. I couldn't resist buying this the other day, in fact couldn't resist two to be exact. Well it's a nice little tin of mints, eat the mints, keep the tin. Oh yes, then there was the price...10p! :o))

Then there was a lovely surprise inside, not only are they mint flavour (fairly strong I have to say) but they are in the shape of a bow, cute or what!

Back to reality and the mess on my table. I've been busy working on one of the projects I really should have finished last year!!! Got to go and get on.....Byee!

:o)

This morning...

2012-01-08T01:02:00.000-08:00

I dashed out this morning to take these photos. I see that one has focused on the branches above me and thankfully, one on the sunrise.

Note to self - must remember to take my glasses with me when photographing stuff!

This picture is a good example of the 'no glasses' syndrome. I couldn't see the screen on the camera properly and half a bird was the result!

Finallly got the cheeky devil, sitting on the bird feeder indeed!
The original idea with the feeder and sparrow hawk was a good one I think but just a shame I didn't get it all in one!!. :o(
Until next time... :o)

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

2012-01-04T01:49:00.000-08:00

Resolutions?
None, I've not made any, but I may adopt a motto for the year.
I was reading my 'horror'scope for 2012, I don't really bother about them.
This one however gave a motto for the year and mine was 'Just do it' !
Ok think maybe it's about time I did just that!

Here's to 2012, I wish you all the best!
:o)x

Ho ho ho...

2011-12-26T02:36:00.000-08:00

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

I hope you have had a wonderful time.

xxxxx

Back...

2011-11-16T08:54:00.000-08:00

...here I am back from the craft fair at the weekend. It's now Wednesday evening and I have no idea when I'll get round to putting the stuff away! Had a good time though.

I was going to take some photos of some of my stuff to put on my blog. As usual I get engrossed in other things and I ran out of time. By the time I'd decided to photograph them the sun was starting to go down.

Here's a couple of shots I took outside. The rosebud is one of the last ones on my climber. It really looks quite light outside but the light inside the house was just no good. I prefer to take things in decent daylight so here's hoping it is nice and bright tomorrow.

I leave you with the setting sun. Until next time...

:o)x

Problems...

2011-09-14T12:16:00.000-07:00

This is my third attempt to upload photos to blogger. I'm not sure if it's because I'm on my netbook and it's slower or if it's because it's a really busy time. Anyway, third time lucky and I've managed to upload three out of the six I'd intended to show. Better than none I suppose.

These are from another set of birds although the one above looks as if it's a birthday cake!

I really like the pink and green flowery fabric but I'm not sure if I've got much more of it. I'm sure there will be another 'favourite' to take it's place soon. In fact I rather like the little bluebird fabric below.

Yes, if you can read them, the words on the song sheet in the background say 'Goddess of the blue'. I suppose you could use these random words or sayings that appear when you work in mixed media as inspiration for another piece, or at the very least you could use it for the title ...if you had time...that is. Just a thought.

Oh well, I'll give uploading another shot soon. I'm starting to build up a number of photos to post. Until the next time, byeeeeee!

!:o)x

Little snips...

2011-08-21T10:03:00.000-07:00

from my new bird designs. You can see the full picture of a few of them on my other blog.

They are little collages that are a mixture of paper and fabric finished off with some free machine embroidery. I love scribbling with the machine.

I had great fun making them and will be making lots more in the near future. They are a great way to use up all my tiny snips of fabric and lace. It's a bit worrying as I'm now keeping the teeny, tiniest wee bits of fabric...help!

I love how they are all basically worked the same yet each one is unique. Some end up wth chunky birds and some with skinny birds. it all depends how I machine them. That's the last thing to be done after the collaging, the free machining so I really have to be in the mood as I can ruin it with one miss judged line. I've been lucky so far any dodgy lines have added a little character to the bird, whew!

That's all for now.

Back soon!

:o)

At last!

2011-08-18T13:32:00.000-07:00

I've been meaning to do some rust dyeing for ages and just never got round to it.

Ta da! Here are the results. Not really sure if I like the results as I put it all together in a hurry. Think I should have tied or wound the cloth round the rusty piece a bit tighter. I'll know for the next time. I soaked the fabric in vinegar, wrapped it round my rusty metal then left it in a plastic bag outside for 24 hours... Maybe outside in Scotland should have been all week instead of one day!

I liked the wee flower on the broderie anglais piece, I just wish it had coloured a bit better. Not sure if I was really supposed to get these dark spots transferred or not. They were maybe bits of loose rust that I hadn't rubbed off. All together just a bit of a disaster I think. I was not impressed when I read somewhere online that you were to neutralise the rusting action and then repeat it every year! I don't mind doing it first time round but object to the follow up. It made me wonder what was the point, you wouldn't be able to use the pieces in a hanging or picture. I really don't understand it I'm sure that there a loads of people rust dyeing then using the pieces of fabric to make something. Mmm...maybe I'll just stick to Procion or Dylon in future.

I thought I'd take the opportunity to take a few pictures when I was in the garden. This Rowan tree over the fence is laden with berries. They say that trees with masses of berries indicate a hard winter...mmm...I wonder.

Good old white daisies, they come up every year. must find out their real name.

This, I think is called crocosmia lucifer, don't quote me on that. I really should look things up before I start and get my facts right. Oh well...
That's all for now.
Byeeee. :o)

2011-06-18T05:29:00.000-07:00

Hi there! Thought that I'd share what I was doing the other day.

I was dyeing fabric and had such a good day that I thought that it was the perfect way to get this blog up and running again. I'd thought about giving all the excuses of why I'd not been posting but hey, that's history so lets just scratch the last few months and start again.

Here is my start...

The one on the left had been folded down the length and the one in the middle was folded across the middle. I hadn't realised at the time but really liked the result. Will probably try that again.

This one was at the bottom of a bundle of fabric and the dye wasn't able to penetrate down to it. When I noticed it was too late to do anything about it. I thought that it turned out pretty good but probably it'll be a complete one off as I'd probably never be able to reproduce it.

This is a piece of silk velvet that I space dyed. I just love velvet!

Well sadly that is all for now as blogger seems to be taking ages to load my photos and out of the nine that I had lined up it only loaded the three above. I'm also having a fight with the font that I want it just doesn't want to retain it between photos. There are more glitches but I'll not go on. Not exactly the start that wanted, but it's a start all the same!

Bye for now.

PS. Not only have I had all these problems but I went and posted this on my other blog!!!! aaaargh.... I've now taken ages to copy and upload the photos one at a time to get to this point...again!!!!!!! I'm away this time, I hope!
! :o)

Stirling revisited!

2011-02-27T08:12:00.000-08:00

A while back...28th September 2010 post...I showed a picture of the work I'd done at the Embroiderers' Guild Scottish Branches Summer School in August. I was in a class taken by Louise Baldwin (brilliant by the way!) we were working on lines. We produced some artwork from our source, mine was The May Island in the River Forth. We then transferred our artwork into a series of machined lines. Cords, braids wired, fabric, yarns basically anything went if it was appropriate to your source and it made a line!.

I think that back in September! I'd promised to show some close up photos of my work. Well, her they are...at last!

I liked how you could combine little bits of fabric and beads within these lines.

Some of the lines turned out quite delicate and fine

While some of them looked more agressive and bold.

This one is much broader but still looks quite delicate.

The one below has delicate areas but doesn't look very fine.

These are just a few of the photos that I took em... just the other day! Talk about being prepared...I'll put the rest on my Flickr page.

Bye for now.

:o)

printing & stitch

2011-02-20T04:58:00.000-08:00

I took some photos of my printed fabric. The fabric was very busy so I used "L" shaped card to home in on a few sections. The only thing is that it takes ages to select which ones that you think are interesting. I took loads of photos and end up only using a couple of them here. I may post more of them on Flickr.

I was at a great workshop yesterday where I was able to use some of my printed fabric. I added it to a piece that I'd started at a previous session.

The piece above was using my newly printed fabric. I hadn't realised that I'd ended up with little flowers until the tutor pointed it out!. Sometimes it's better to look at what you're doing from a distance. I think that a was so intent to get to the end of the row and wondering which bit I would tackle next  to really notice what was going on.


These are some of the bits that I'd worked on a previous occassion. We were allowing the piece to grow as we went along which proved to be more difficult than you 'think. Designing as you go!

Our aim was to produce an exotic piece of work

I loved stitching the little dots and the squares. It's great how the use of very simple straight stitches enhance the printed image.

This is where I was working, just for good measure.

Aren't Ikea scissors great!

Another printed image. The orange line was monoprinted by laying the fabric down on a sectioned of rollered orange paint. I then dragged the end of my paintbrush across the fabric. You get the missing sections when the fabric shifts a little and the brush jumps over the little ridge that was created by it moving. Hope that makes sense!

Bye for now,

:o)

back again!

2011-02-16T10:29:00.000-08:00

Hi folks! Thought it was about time for me to come back to blogland.

I've have been keeping myself busy but never managed to blog about it. Tisk, tisk. I aim to add to this more often from now on. It may be a bit random as to the subject matter but I will try to continue to post about my stitching bits and pieces as I go along. Of course to start me off again you'll see that it's not stitched pieces at all but a little bit of printing. Just because I like it!

A bit of rollering and stamping here and there.

I treated myself to some alphabet blocks recently which need a bit more experimenting with. I do like a bit of text in textiles!

We can't forget good old monoprinting. I love it!

Here I've tried a little fish print in positive and negative.

You can just see the negative image in the photo above. The top one is done by carefully laying the fabric down onto the inked surface, then drawing the image onto the back of the fabric. I'm sure most people will know how to do it. I don't use ink, I use acrylic paint straight from the tube. If you do that you must work quickly before it dries. It's probably worth while getting a medium that delays the drying process it would make a big difference.

Having a play with my alphabet stamps and I liked the colours that were on the paintbrush at the time.

I'm not sure if my printed fabric piece worked all that well. It may be better when it's cut up into smaller pieces.

I'm a lot happier about the little fish prints and can see myself working on them. Eventually! I'll keep you posted.

That's all for now.

Byee!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

2010-12-28T15:59:00.000-08:00

A bit late I know but hope it was a good one all the same.

Hi!

I love it when the sky is blue and everything is white!

I like how the snow catches in the fence and tops the posts!

I just love the snow!

I'm not looking forward to the thaw, the mess, the flooding and the dark!

Took these when the snow came at the end of November. It looked lovely but now at the end of December it's a mess. It's been raining a lot, the snow is shrinking and some bits are just sheer ice. Not so nice now, but we did have a white Christmas, woopee! Sadly the snow novelty has worn off a bit now.

Anyway, hope you all had a great Christmas and here's to a Happy New Year!

Stirling...

2010-09-28T11:35:00.000-07:00

I can't believe it's one month on from being at The Emroiderers'Guild Summer School (Scottish Branches) at Stirling. Anyone would think that I hadn't enjoyed myself. Completely the opposite!!! I had a great time this year with Louise Baldwin as my tutor. I've loved her work since I did my City & Guilds so it was great to finally meet her and be in her class. She was brilliant! I thoroughly enjoyed myself and the results of my labour can be seen in the picture above. We were working from our own source. I chose to work from my photos of the May Island which I visited in June. I can feel a series coming on!!! .....
I hope to take some close up photos which I'll post sooner rather than later.
That's it for now,
Byeee!
:o)

Holiday snaps 2010...

2010-09-13T09:26:00.000-07:00

Some of the wildlife...

They're back! Same as last year.

Moonlight!

Sunrise!

Sunset!

This one is just for show. Honest it's not real.

Spotted on the Isle of Arran, Scotland

The lovely old paddle steamer Waverley.

Some fine inspiration.

Interesting flotsam!

More from Arran...the unreal variety!! Pretty cute all the same.

Imagine my surprise when I found this on the shore.

"M" it definitely is.

:o)

super trip....100...

2010-07-14T09:07:00.000-07:00

The Isle of May National Nature Reserve in the River Forth. Had a great day here on one of their open days. We went on the boat from Anstruther and this was some of the first close up views we had of the island.

The stars of the trip! We sat on rocks and watch the comings and goings of the puffins on their way to feed their little pufflings hiding underground..

I would have loved to have had closer pictures of the puffins. Much larger lens required!These were some Shags and a Razorbill with its little chick following him or her around. He was so sweet.

This was a family of Guillemot with their chick in the background. Its amazing how they look like little penguins.

Of course the extreem close-ups ended up being the seagull chicks. I have to admit that they look really nice when they were all fluffed up.

Heaps of inspiration on the island for textile pieces!!!

These were all taken in and around the Engine House which was on Fluke Street, fabulous name! Loads of peeling paint and rust. I can feel a May Isle range for next summer!!!I think I took as many pictures of inspiration as I did of sea birds, they didn't move! The birds had a tendency to turn the other way just when the camera went click so it was amazing that I actually have any bird photos!

Some local island text!

This was where an old railing post had been cut off. I know that railings were cut down during the war to be melted down for I think munitions so maybe this is what happened here. I would like to point out that this was learned and not from experience! Anyway I loved the areas of colour on the stone.

Well that's it for now. This as it happens has been my 100th post. I had thought to commemorate it with a giveaway but I've never done anything like that and am not sure where to start so for now I thought that I would share with you the photos of what was for me a fantastic trip.

I wonder when they take the bookings for next year!!!!!

Bye for now, I'll be back soon.

A selection...

2010-06-10T13:57:00.000-07:00

Not a great picture but this is one of my unframed pieces that has been lurking around for a while. I had worked it on a backing of calico but all my unframed pieces are usually worked on a base of felt. This is probably why it was in the lurking pile! I added it to a piece of felt with the embellisher and some more rows of free machining, problem solved! I've mounted it on the horizontal for a change. There's a kind of landscape thing going on with it... with a bit of imagination!

This one is actually another one on calico but this time I've decided that I'll window mount it, so it'll not need to be put on to felt. It's very much a work in progress as I've not stitched the flowers yet.

I quite like how they look without the flowers being stitched (I'll take some more photos of them later) but I think that's because it's a close up which I find always looks way better than the actual size.

I've used a mixture on this one of hand and free machine embroidery with some work on the embellisher as well. I love to combine techniques when it suits.

These are a couple of quite small pieces, actually I think I may have shown them before, or maybe on flickr... anyway I decided that they had too much work on them to be put on a card (I try not to do any hand stitching on my card pieces...a personal thing!) so I decided to whiz a zigzag stitch around the edges, add a brooch back and voila!... a couple of instant brooches... As to whether anyone will want them or not remains to be seen but at least I'm happy as I feel like I've used them!

This is a before picture...

and this is the after...

The addition of a few straight stitches and some little flowers makes all the difference. I didn't notice until after I had mounted and packaged this one that I hadn't done any of my little French knot flowers. It obviously didn't need it otherwise I think I would have noticed at the time.

Some of the machining looks really messy when you see it in close up!

The photo above and the few below are from a landscape that I finished last week.

The colour doesn't seem quite right in these two photos. I may have had the flash on for this one as it was probably getting dark by the time I remembered to take some photos!!

The last photo here shows this piece before I did the extra hand stitching and free machining and I think the colour is better. You can see the extra details that I put on it in the close up photos.

I'm pleased to say that this piece sold at the Morningside Makers Market on Saturday !! I really liked it and wouldn't have minded if I'd had to keep it for a while....maybe this will be the start of a new series.......! :o)

Bye for now!

about time....

2010-05-30T04:49:00.000-07:00

I got down to posting a bit more. So... I thought that I'd show some of my recent scoops...This lovely batik fabric which I put in the wash with the white items and a colour catcher. I'm so glad I did as the colour catcher came out the same colour as the maroon on the batik. Can't believe how well the white fabric came out. There was the slightest bloom of pink on them but you really don't notice it. Whew!!Sorry about the shadow on this photo. The embroidered piece is an organza handkerchief... for show I presume!!I also had a pink moment! The pink cord is elastic... got some ideas for that and the pink gingham trim is elasticated as well....haven't a clue what I'll do with that but I liked it....the fabric is a pair of cotton pyjamas...great for recycling and for using in my latest little project!

Here they are... my latest! I've been making mini bunting. I've used a selection of new, vintage and recycled fabric. They are on sale in the seriously scrummy shop Kit & Caboodle in Newburgh Fife, Scotland!

I had so much fun making them that I hope they do well.

That's it for now.

Back soon!

saw this...

2010-05-09T13:30:00.000-07:00

dashed out just before eight this evening to capture this. The white blob was a seagull who happened to fly into view just as the camera went click! Unfortunately I've missed most of the other rainbow that was further out. You can just about see it in the seagull picture.Now is the pot of gold at this side of the trees or at the back? Mmmm....

I've been busy getting work ready for craft fairs this past while. Have managed to post a few pictures on flickr today. Hope to have something for this blog soon.

Byee!

Flower power....

2010-04-19T12:25:00.000-07:00

I'd decided to use the Easter bonnet as a prop for my flower brooches for the craft fair as I've mentioned before so I thought that it was a good idea to use it again to show off my flower brooches for Etsy. Yes, I've finally decided to open up my shop. I had quite a few flower brooches made so thought that they'd be the perfect starting point. Not too sure how it'll work out as I've noticed that there are hundreds of flower brooches out there so it'll be a miracle if anyone finds mine... and then likes it enough to buy it! Oh well, it's worth a try.

I started taking some photos outside because it was nice and sunny but didn't think that the background helped them so I retreated indoors.

Next I thought that it would be a good idea to try and stage the photo as I had found an old polystyrene head form, draped some sheer fabric round it and plonked the bonnet on the top and stood it next to a large letter "M" on an old desk. I quite liked the idea of an object that's for sale in amongst other things.

It's amazing how you can look at a thing for ages and never see the obvious. I didn't notice until I was selecting the photos to use to promote my flowers that I suddenly noticed how large the flower looked. Positively huge! Should have realised that the bonnet was a childs size!!! The flower is fairly big at almost 3 1/2" square but it's not a big as it looked in some of the photos.

I ended up retaking a lot of the photos but have decided to show one of the staged photos along with the new ones...I think!

Positively huge!!!!!

Staged photo! Also could do better on the fabric draping I think!

Etsy shop nearly open...watch this space!

Easter bonnet...

2010-04-09T12:59:00.000-07:00

I made a couple of bonnets this year or rather I decorated them! They only cost me £1 each so I was really pleased.I posted a few pictures on flickr of the first bonnet which I put in the window at Funky Scottish, Pittenweem, Fife.

This one I used as a prop at the April Morningside Makers Market.

I've been having a go at making some of the little burnt flowers and thought that they would make a good show with my flower brooches. It certainly made the hat a bit more interesting. I have to say that they are hugely addictive so if you want to try making them there are plenty of tutorials online. I made mine outside as I wasn't too sure about the fumes when the synthetic fabric melted. It certainly proved challenging, you only need the slightest of breeze to set everything flying including the candle flame!

It's been a lovely sunny day here today and I end up taking the pictures at night with a flash!!! Crazy!!
I know that it's past Easter but hope you all had a good time! :o)
Byeeee!

sparkle, sparkle...

2010-03-12T14:20:00.000-08:00

spotted this on the wall the other day and just had to dash for the camera. I kept going back to take another photo, it's ok I'm only showing a couple...how do you like the one with the arc? It was a reflection from my camera lens.

Had to show my new scoop! Maybe not really all that exciting but the price was! I paid £2 for it in a charity shop in Edinburgh. I have to admit that it originally had Simpson stickers on each drawer and a fine layer of dust but I immediately saw that it had potential. Referring back to my "stairs" episode you can see that one of the lucky drawers now holds my "shirt box" beads! Much better for carrying around!

The stickers came off !

Byee!

Back soon....

working...

2010-02-28T05:21:00.000-08:00

towards the next craft fair on Saturday 6th march at Morningside, Edinburgh

I was trying to make a few new unframed pieces, this is a small snippet of one of them.

A bit of a challenge the other night when I was carrying my bead box (aka shirt box) up the stairs, an accident waiting to happen I'd say with my box being the most wobbly kind of box there is. Yes I dropped it. Evidence here...

I do think that I got off lightly as most of the beads are either in plastic bags or boxes and none of them burst open, whew!

This picture shows all that spilt out...

I still see the odd glistening piece as I go up and down the stairs all the same. Think it may end up being like pine needles from the Christmas tree. No matter how many times you hoover up they still appear months later!

I'd been beading some of my heart brooches...

think I may have shown snippets of these in the past. I seem to have made a meal of working on them. I think this may be the last lot like them as I've had a few new ideas which I'm keen to try out. I hope to get them done soon.

Think that's it for now, back soon,

Byeee! :o)

My new blog...

2010-02-09T09:22:00.000-08:00

I've done it! I've started my other blog which is just my name http://www.moiraannedickson.blogspot.com/ .
It'll contain mostly things I'm making for craft fairs, galleries, etsy and exhibitions. I will probably keep posting here on ominnimo from time to time as I'm always trying out new things. So feel free to drop in.

craft fair...

2010-02-07T15:36:00.000-08:00

I was at the Morningside makers market yesterday. It was a great day. You'll see a picture of my stall on their blog. Just follow the link above.
I'll be doing a bit of blog revamping very soon. So watch this space!
Bye for now,
Moira.

HI !

2010-01-23T16:16:00.000-08:00

Just a few to get the new year going! (Yes I know that we're almost one month in already).

Not that you can see but I was nearly blown off my feet taking this picture at Leven, looking towards Largo Ward.

It was absolutely freezing in the wind!

Caught this fieldfare image whilst stopped at traffic lights. I didn't think I'd get it by the time I opened the window, camera out of bag, lens cap off and camera switched on!
Whew, made it! OK slightly out of focus, but the traffic lights had changed!!
Bye for now, I'll be back soon.

busy in Christmas mode...

2009-12-05T15:22:00.001-08:00

Ha, ha, ha,... well I thought that they looked like they were laughing! :o)

This years angels. I decided to make them a bit different from the ones I did last year. These ones have faces and self coloured skirts. The rest is pretty much the same.

I liked the wings on this one.
Then there were the stars, in production.

I liked the photo with the red pin because i thought that it looked like a berry....oh simple things!!! I think the star shaped machining kinda got lost ...might try it again on something different.

A batch ready to go onto their backing.

One of those "red berries" again!

I haven't really done any Christmas cards this year. May still have a bash.
I was thinking that I would start up an etsy shop.... Not quite decided as yet. Probably a bit late to get it done for this Christmas. That is if anyone would want to buy the things I make on line.

I know they sell in Funky Scottish and in Culross Pottery in Fife.

Oh well, I'll think about it for next year.

That's it for now.

Byeeee! :o)

Ah,ha!

2009-11-12T12:57:00.000-08:00

I can always do more than one post at a time! These are another four!!!

You know when you did dressmaking... you always tested the machine to see if it was stitching correctly before you embarked on seam sewing etc. Well...I obviously completely forgot about that stage... evidence in the photos!

I have to say that I do rather like the loopy stitches all the same. Gives a bit more texture don't you think?

This is the front of the piece. You wouldn't really know how much dodgy stitching there was at the back from the look of it!
Yes you've guessed it. Scrunched gold tissue paper bonded onto calico, stamped design (homemade, of course!), free machining.
You know, I think I do like the other side better!
Think I'll go now....

Then there were four...

2009-11-12T12:43:00.000-08:00

These are a few images from some of my recent, surprise, surprise, heart brooches.

The first two photos are from my large heart brooches. They get a lot more work done on them. I've applied some transfered dyed velvet and some additional free machining and then I'll bead them before finishing them off. I'll sometimes do some embroidery on them as well.

These two photos are from my small heart brooches.

What about the title? Well for some reason I can only get Picasa to upload 4 photos although I had tagged six. I tried to upload them from my usual source but blogger wouldn't take the. So I had to go back to Picasa hence the four!
This is what happens when you are not really computer literate, havent posted for a while (sorry! :o() and the grey cells are failing! Maybe I shouldn't overdo the excuses!!
Oh well I'll have to do lots of posts now if I can only upload in fours!!!! :O)
Byeeeee!

here they are....

2009-09-02T13:25:00.001-07:00

this was the first piece that I worked on, fabric, paint and stitch, chopped up and linked back together again. It's great how it can be manipulated but still hold together.

Some calico, Lutradur and stitch then burt with the heat tool.

A little closer....took these outside this evening with the flash as it was starting to get dark and as you can see the rain was just starting to fall.

This one has come out even darker!

This is another of these photos that I've forgotten to turn before posting!

Different fabrics joined together with machine and hand stitching. Just like the old fashioned Christmas decorations!

Some Acetate this time with paint, hand and machine stitching, sorry about the flashy bits!

Some linked fabric pieces...

Some more of the same shaped pieces but linked in a different way...and the photo is round the wrong way!

Calico, garden fleece (burnt), machine and hand stitching. I made the beads from offcuts and wire when I came home.

Didn't realise this is almost the same as the previous photo. Never mind.

I've just deleted another photo!!!! I'll save it for the next time.

Check out Dawn's book for some of the instructions .

"TRANSPARENCY IN TEXTILES" by DAWN THORNE (hope I got the link ok, it should take you to Amazon).

If you'd rather support The Embroiderers' Guild and buy from them try http://www.embroiderersguild.com/bookshop/

If you get the chance to go to a workshop taken by Dawn then I would recommend it. I had a great time and hope to develop some of the ideas into my own work.

Thank You, Dawn for the inspiration and such a lovely time at the Embroiderers' Guild Scottish Branches Summer School, Stirling.

Bye for now.

Moira

Embroiderers' Guild...

2009-08-31T16:26:00.000-07:00

Had a fantastic weekend at Stirling with the Scottish Region of the Embroiderers' Guild Summer School. I was in a class taken by Dawn Thorne which was great. I came away with loads of ideas. I'll share the fruits in my next post....watch this space!
Byee!

holiday snaps....

2009-08-26T12:48:00.000-07:00

" .......98, 99, 100, here I come ready or not...."

"...no, you move over...!

"...hope she doesn't roll over..."

"...are you looking at me?..."
Thought that I'd share these holiday snaps.
x

and the rest.....

2009-08-22T04:56:00.000-07:00

this is the deleted photo, ....in progress....

and here is a close up of one of the ones I was working on. I think that is one that is finished.

I thought that maybe they needed a little addition....

...now which one will I choose.....
Have just realised that this post probably won't make any sense without reading the prevoius one!
Bye for now.....

starting now....

2009-08-22T04:38:00.000-07:00

decided to show a few photos of my latest. I'll catch up with what I've been doing between last post and now, was it really that long ago!!!!

I was running low on my cards so decided to make a batch. I tend to work like that, nothing for ages then blitz, loads of stuff.

I spent most of yesterday working on these but am not sure if they are going to be ok or not. I felt that they were a bit aimless. You probably can't really tell as I haven't shown a completed one in the photos.

OOPS, JUST DELETED A PHOTO !!!!!!

I'm using Picasa now for my photos but although I tagged 6 pictures it only seems to have uploaded 4. I've also been having a problem with my new camera uploading things because my card reader won't read the camera card and going direct from the camera eats loads of power and , and, and .....basically I need to get back to the drawing board on this one.
I've taken the last lot of photos on my old camera.
Obviously it all needs a bit of thought.
Keep taking the tablets!!!!

found these...

2009-07-07T08:57:00.000-07:00

these were a few pictures that I took at the beginning of January this year.
I thought that they were quite inspirational. Not that I usually get round to using half of the inspiational pictures I take.

Thought that I'd tagged another picture for posting. Obviously not.
Also I'm not sure if I've jiggered the layout on this. Oh well.

I'm busy trying to get things ready for the Pittenweem Arts festival again this year. I'll probably be in Funky Scottish, High Street, Pittenweem ,(opposite the Post Office) most days. Say"Hi" if you come in to visit.
I'm trying to stock up with my unframed seashore pieces along with the usual heart and flower brooches.
I really must try and get some new designs.
It's a bit strange how I manage to leave things right to the last minute before I get into gear. I've only known about it for...mmm...lets see.... oh yes, a whole year!!!!
Maybe that's just how I work. I'll try and post some stitched pieces next time.
Byee!
PS I've not been wasting my time since my last post. I 've been dyeing and printing with Procion dyes and basically having a whole load of fun. I'll show some of the results once I get some photos taken.

PITTENWEEM ARTS FESTIVAL
FIFE SCOTLAND
SATURDAY 1ST AUGUST 2009 - SUNDAY 9TH AUGUST 2009

random photos...

2009-06-13T10:08:00.000-07:00

This was what was left afterI'd been doing some printing. I decided to scribble in the paint and take a few photos to remind me what it had looked like. I may have a shot at manupulating this on the computer. One of these days!

This was an old stitched piece that was lurking around. I keep picking it up to see if I can use it but the answer is always no. I can never find the right location for it. The background fabric is one of my recent makes . It is really quite big for me but as yet is still hanging on my pinboard awaiting inspiration. I hope it comes soon as I'd like to stitch a bigger piece.
Byee

on a roll...

2009-05-26T03:06:00.000-07:00

finally found out how to post a few photos at a time....

these were some of the ones I'd meant to post earlier...

these all come from a piece that I was doing to fit a specific sized frame for a recent exhibition.

this had quite a few bits added and subtracted!! That was a real pain trying to unpick some of the heavily machined areas. Not really recommended!! I'm not sure if I have a photo of the finished piece. I'll have a look later.
Bye for now.

reflections...

2009-05-26T01:58:00.000-07:00

loved the reflections on the water!

Sorry!

2009-05-15T04:08:00.000-07:00

This was supposed to be me catching up and posting quite a lot today but as usual things never go to plan!!
These two pictures, apart from taking ages to load which is really annoying me, are upside down or on the side and I'm not getting to access them to turn them. Obviously need to do a little bit of testing here and there to get things back to normal! Now I've just deleted one by mistake, grrrr!!! I'll load it another day, honest!

I was really trying to get rid of my "Happy Easter" so that it wasn't the first thing you saw when looking at my blog. It really makes it obvious if you've not been updating!!!

These two are from some of the many unframed pieces that I've been making for recent exhibitions. Hence the not being here!! In fact now that I look at them they look almost the same. Good grief!!

No,the first picture was actually one that got framed up. Yes the picture that's upside down! mmm!

You know how you talk about a bad hair day, well, I think I'm having on a bad blog day. Does that make it a BBD?

Maybe I need to go before I delete the whole thing!!

Maybe I should just stick to flickr!!

Byeee!

Hope you had a good one !

2009-04-14T12:07:00.000-07:00

Finally managing to upload more than one photo at a time. Thank goodness!!

Hope everyone had a good Easter and haven't eaten too many chocolate eggs!!

These photos were taken in my garden. The poor pink primroses had a bit of rain damage on them which was a shame. I have to confess that they are still in the box they came in from the garden centre, I must get them planted before they finish blooming!! Were does time go?

I'll try and get some stitching posted soon.

Byeee

ah ha!

2009-03-30T13:31:00.001-07:00

Just managed to do this! I'm fair pleased with myself :o) These are some of the new unframed pieces I've been working on. Just the usual fabric collages using silk, muslin, velvet and free machine embroidery.
That's it for now, byeee
:o)

playing...

2009-03-25T05:23:00.000-07:00

...having a go with picasa. Think I've got a lot to learn!

Back to the drawing board!

EXHIBITION, DUNDEE....

2009-03-23T07:41:00.000-07:00

Here are the dates and times for the above exhibition. It's called "STITCHED SPLENDOUR" and is work done by members of Dundee & East of Scotland Branch of the Embroiderers' Guild.

It started on Sunday 22nd March 2009 and finishes on Friday 3rd April 2009. The exhibition will be open Mon - Sat 10am - 4pm and Sun 12 noon - 4pm. You'll find it at Roseangle Art Gallery, Roseangle (off Perth road), Dundee. These are just a few snapshots from a couple of the unframed pieces I put into the exhibition.

They are mostly free machine embroidery on strips of silk and velvet. I don't usually work in silk so it was nice for a change.

Bye for now,

:o)

a grand day out..

2009-03-19T14:40:00.000-07:00

spent some time last week at Cambo House in Fife to see the snowdrops. They have a collection of 300 out of a possible 500!So what's the first photo I post? Well that'll be the inspirational building on their grounds!!

Hadn't realised until I got home that this photo made it look like there was a light on inside the building which of course there wasn't.

Especially liked this one, of course I'm pretty keen on circles, perhaps that was the reason :o)

Hellibores!! What no snowdrops, well truth be told I'd left it a bit late to visit and most of the snowdrops were going over. I did manage to take a few photos of them. I promise there is one later on... but hey! don't you just love hellebores.!

Love the spots inside this one.

Group photo!

Stripes, well sort of...

Oh yes, sorry about the fuzzy photo but it was pretty windy the day of my visit which really made it a bit difficult, then there was the sun, not that I'm complaining but sometimes I just couldn't see the screen at all. I was lucky and only had one photo which completely missed the mark!!

Oh goodness, another one!

Here they are!!! At least some of the ones that were still flowering. The wind was a bit of a pain but I really liked to see them bobbing their heads, they looked really pretty and delicate.

Snowdrops, well not really, we were reliably informed that these were snowflakes. I hadn't known that but think they look just as pretty as snowdrops.

No stitching to show this time but I'm sure I'll get some ideas especially from the building photos. (I have more!).

Anyway, I've been busy getting some unframed pieces done for the Dundee branch of the Embroiderers' Guild exhibition, it starts on Sunday, I'll do a quick post later with the relevant info. and some stitched snippets.

That's it for now,

Byee!

:o)

found it!

2009-02-27T05:38:00.000-08:00

at least I hope it's the one!...thought that I would show the whole "shape" as well.

Mmmm, that'll be a heart then... surprise, surprise !!

Bye for now,

:o)

printing...

2009-02-27T04:41:00.000-08:00

...here are a few of the promised images of my play with printing. I was using a combination of acrylic paint, printing ink and markal stick on calico. I decided to cut out some shapes from the printed fabric and attach them to purchased calico bags by way of free machining. I used the printing as a guide for my stitching.

... oh, goodness there's a little heart !! :o)

...playing with the machine, I love it !

It was great to follow the printing and just see what shapes you ended up with...

... with of course a little added twirl here and there just for good measure! Never!! another heart, well who would believe it!!! :o) oops, just realised that's the same photo!!, Oh well, wonder what the photo was that I missed!

All those extra twirls here and there made a big difference to the design on the reverse. A bit of a floral theme going on here as well!

That's it for now,

Byeeee ! :o)

2009 stuff...

2009-02-24T11:45:00.000-08:00

This is a little bit of fabric making similar idea to the fabric I made for the Valentine's hearts. In fact that is what I'm going to make with this piece of fabric. More hearts, surprise, surprise. ....

I really must come up with another shape soon...

I tend to take lots of photos then only post a few. Thought that I'd put more up this time. (oops, it's taking longer thatn I thought, I'll post the rest soon!)

Mind you they are starting to look pretty similar! It's probably not worth putting masses of the same.

Think that three of this is more than enough!

This one is a little picture, landscape, standin' stanes, that kind of thing. Just made up out of my head. It is a combination of free machine embroidery and embellished marino fibres.

Think it's nearly finished now.
This was it earlier much earlier... in fact I started it last year!

I've got some pictures of fabric I've printed but think I'll keep them for the next post.

That's it then, for now,

Byeee!

:o)

Heart time again!!!

2009-02-08T10:16:00.000-08:00

Yes that's right folks, me who never needs an excuse to make a bunch of hearts!!! Good old Valentines Day...Don't you just hate when this happens whilst free machining. I do !! The only remedy for it is to snip the couched yarn. At least with free machining it's easy enough to anchor it back down without it really being noticed. Not so bad when it happens at the edge of the fabric like this one, it probably missed the heart shape and ended up on the waste pile!

I like the combination of the sheer fabrics with the fancy yarns that you can get nowadays.

I particularly like the colour combination on these ones. Must remember it and try it again sometime. I've been starting to add little amounts of different types of fabric in these not sure if you can see the little piece of blue diamond patterned fabric peeping out on the one above.

Some of these fabrics really fray quite a lot. I like this type of edge so that's ok.

That was definitely not taken on a yellow background and I think these hearts were in the pinky red range rather than the orangy red. Of course that might just be the inspiration for the next piece of fabric I make...

Anyway, these are some of the hearts cut out from the "made" fabric. Don't know if you can see it but I tried machining little hearts as I went along. Of course it ended up being an after thought so there wasn't a lot of room left for them otherwise they might have been covered in them!
This batch of hearts have had a little zigzag added to their edges. I liked the touch of green on these ones.I have made about three different batches so far. I only get about eight at the most out of the pieces of fabric. I think that I prefer to work on smaller pieces of fabric, it keeps them more interesting.

Fiddling about with buttons (I love buttons :o)) The one at bottom right was just a bit on the big size but I was just throwing my bundle of red buttons around to see what went where, if at all!

I decided to do some black and white cards as I know these colours are very popular at the moment. I added a pearly button althugh I think that they were more like a shell button rather than mother of pearl. They were a bit old and tired bit I thought they went ok.

I thought that they could be used as wedding cards as well. If they sell well I can see me trying a whole load of them all in different colourways.

Here I go again, any excuse for making a bunch of hearts

Happy Valentines Day when it comes... :o)

Happy New Year...

2009-01-10T05:41:00.000-08:00

...jingle bells...

The 10th already, how time flies! Thought that I'd upload a few images of what's been going on. The one above was a mistake must have taken a note of the wrong photo number! Great start!! Interesting all the same...

A winters walk...

...oops! another wrong one!! My sister, on holiday from OZ, was intrigued by the fungii on this tree. On closer inspection I had to inform her that we really had some quite unusual trees here in Scotland, this one was the tree of mini pitta breads!!!......................... Ha Ha!!

These uploads are taking ages so I'll go for now and come back later when I have more time... I might get the right photos next time!!

:o)

Byeeee!

just noticed that this is post 60...

2008-12-10T16:23:00.000-08:00

...then I forgot what I was doing and published the heading on its own. Obviously lost the plot! Anyway here I am with what I'd intended to show in the first place.
Some more pieces of fabric making for some Christmas hearts (surprise surprise!)

...just some more of the usual, bonding , foiling, couching and free machine embroidery. Nothing new then!!

some pieces of fancy yarns and sheers...

... then of course, the extreme close up!! Maybe should have turned the picture round!

... you can see a bit of the indented shapes made by the free machining on this one. I mainly scribble with the needle when working on my machine. I don't set out with a particular pattern in mind, it just evolves. Sometimes it is influenced by what I've added to it and I allow it to grow from there.

Oh! Yes, here are a few of this years angels, pretty similar to last years I have to say.

That's it then, here's to the next 60!!! :o)

Byeee!!!!

:o)

unsure...

2008-11-25T08:34:00.000-08:00

... found these photos. I have this piece hanging around. Could probably call it WIP , yes think I will as I really don't think it's finished. I'm at a bit of a dead end with it. Really should have it pinned up on the wall to inspire me but haven't got that far...

I quite like parts of it but as there is no artwork to go with it (naughty, naughty!) I'm not sure which direction to take with it.

...mmmm, think that last one looked like it had a heart in it, can't imagine where that could have come from!!!

Anyway here it is in its unfinished state, or maybe I should just call it finished!!

...mmm...maybe, not!

Think I'll pin it up!!

byee!

Amazing!...

2008-11-15T14:58:00.000-08:00

...it's not every day that you open a can of tropical fruit salad and find these...

...staring up at you!! The moment couldn't pass without a quick dash for the camera. This fruit was definitely for sharing!!
...there's another one!!

I just couldn't eat them!! Well not today anyway, maybe tomorrow!! :o(

Byee! :o)

Hi :o) !

2008-11-03T02:06:00.000-08:00

I really should be doing some work but thought I'd take a little time out to post a few more photos. This is my next batch of little heart brooches destined for Funky Scottish. We've gone on to winter hours for those that may be in the Pittenweem area, Thurs, Frid, Sat 11am to 4pm. Anyway, I'm still working up to putting something in my etsy shop as well, maybe soon and maybe these!!They are all worked in the same way, make a large piece of fabric by bonding and machine couching fancy yarns in place and cutting them out. That's the fun bit trying to fit as many as possible out of the piece!

Then they need a machine satin stitch edge and a brooch back to finish them off.

I really enjoy making them, they're great fun! :o)

The bigger the heap the better! I've done a batch in a different colour way but as they are still WIP I've not taken any photos of them. I'll get to them soon, I hope!!

Then in amongst all this busy, busy I take time out which I really shouldn't and end up doing a crazy play!! The photo above and below show the result.

Mmmm...Why?... Well, just because...Don't you have "just because" moments?!!

Anyway, that's all for now, see you on flickr!!

Byee :o)

It's been a while!!

2008-10-15T08:44:00.000-07:00

Found a few photos that I'd forgotten to show. These are still from my seashore series. They may go on for quite some time!

...little fly stitches, a change from all the straight stitched and French knot flowers. Although I still use these stiches a lot as you can see.

...a mixture of sheers, wool fibres and machine embroidery...

...I quite liked the different colours on this one. Especially the strong red and turquoise.
The sandy beach at the top is actually my table!!

Sorry about the quality of some of the pictures, I seem to have developed a wobbly hand these days!

There you go, a few to be going on with. Will try to get some more things together soon to share.

Bye for now

heaps'n'heaps...

2008-09-08T14:01:00.000-07:00

...I've been busy making loads of little pieces for cards. I need them for exhibitions and the shop/gallery. I can't believe that they take so long to do, probably hardly worth doing them, but I like to. I've worked on a batch of hearts, surprise surprise!...trying to change them as I go...

...here is one of the heaps!

...and here's another!

These are my little leaf pieces. The format is repeatable but I like to make little changes as I go along, just like the heart pieces.

I liked the colour of these. I used a piece of hand dyed fabric under the sheer fabric.

I'm sure you'll recognise some of the fancy yarns I've used on them...

I like a little bit of glitz!

A little bit of gold ribbon on this one.

That's all for now, but I have bits of my work from the Embroiderers' Guild (Scottish Branches) summer school at Stirling to share with you. I'll need to photograph them as my batteries had run out at the time which was a real pity. Anyway I'll post something about it once I've got that done.

Bye for now,

:o)

Phew!..

2008-08-12T13:40:00.001-07:00

...that's it for another year. We made it to the end of the Pittenweem festival week in one piece! It was great fun and very busy even on the rainy days!
I only have a few photos to post here of the town/harbour as I don't believe in posting photos of work that isn't my own (unless they give me permission), sorry about that. Anyway here goes...

...The May Island...

...and another one, you can just about see the blue board outside one of the houses showing the venue number... Yes you really are in living rooms at some of the venues.

The harbour, this was I think taken on Tuesday.

... more boats at the harbour. Taken whilst scoffing an ice cream! yum, yum!

... just another view...it may be a little fuzzy, sorry.

...and again!...

... these are a couple of the little seascapes that I do. They are unfinished as I still had to add some hand stitching to the embellished surface.

...some of my inspiration!!

...and finally across the River Forth to the Bass Rock.

That's it for now I hope to be back quite soon with some more stitchy things.

Byee!

:o)

PS. Just realised that I've posted a photo of a little seascape that was in my last post, oh well, it really was a long week!

July!

2008-07-16T09:24:00.000-07:00

No way!! Can't believe that time is going so fast. Thought I'd give you a bunch of flowers to say sorry for the lack of posts!

a little bit of colour to help us on our way.

Here's a little WIP

...as you can see most of it was done on the embellisher. Oh!

You'll never believe what I did. I dropped one of the little black screws that hold the needles in place! Yes, it bounced on the wooden floor, bounced to who knows where! I managed to track down someone who had them and arranged to get them sent to me. That done I thought that I'd shuffle things round a bit in my workroom. I hauled a huge bag of fabric out into the hallway, turned round and there it was right in front of me, yes, that little black screw staring up at me. Result! I couldn't believe that I'd found it. I carefully laid it up on the machine and finished tidying up (only a little bit you must understand) I moved a piece of work I had been doing at the embellisher and noooooo!, it knocked the little screw off on its travels again , bounce! Oh how luck must have been on my side thet day because there it was nestling on the non slip mat under the foot pedal, oh joy! ... Somehow I think I'll just keep those extra screws on order, phew!!

I'll finish on a few hearts...

...for cards, yes more of them...

...a nine patch!

Don't think I'll really be able to do many more posts in July so roll on August when I'll be in the throws of the festival. It's going to be a crazy time. I'll try and get a post out mid week to let you know how things are going.

Bye for now,

Moira

:o)

getting carried away...

2008-06-27T12:17:00.000-07:00

...I just love making pieces of fabric. I've been in my element recently making lots of pieces which I've been able to use...which is always a bonus!...a couple of close up shots to get you in the mood...

Oh! here they are or at least a few of the little hearts I've been making. I'm going to put a few on cards and some on cards with brooch backs in other words I'm going to have some brooch cards!

No I'm going to have a little heart brooch on a card..Good grief that was difficult!!

For a moment I did wonder what on earth I'd photographed them on, then I realised it was my parchment paper. Not really a good surface as you can see the scratches where I scrape of the bondaweb when it's stuck. Well, that way it lasts longer!!

... another couple of close ups... just because...

I always like to shuffle the shapes around.... I like to see the patterns you can make...

This one I felt worked well even if the photo wasn't really that great. Sorry!

...a little group...

...a bigger group... or in other words... a big heap!

That's it for now. I did think that although these are destined for Funky Scottish (I'm trying very hard to make lots of stock for the Pittenweem Arts Festival, did I tell you that it's on 2nd August until the 10th August 08. If I have, sorry I've told you again!)

Anyway I thought that I really would like to put a few things in my etsy shop. I registered my name when I set up my blog but have never got round to using it. I really couldn't think what to put in it. Maybe these could be the first...that is after Pittenweem week!! Of course I'm hoping that there won't be any left!!

...there probably will be. I did get carried away after all making lots of fabric and with that lots of little hearts. oh well, it was fun :o)

Byeeeee! :o)

bit of a mix...

2008-06-11T15:28:00.000-07:00

...I can't believe that I misssed out on my 50th post!. This is my 51st so I'll just have to save my celebrations for my 100th post!!. So here goes with number 51. A little bit of this and a little bit of that... ...these hearts keep croping up every now and again. I'm intending to do lots more so watch this space...

oops! didn't mean to upload this one. Never mind, it's just a WIP.

Hope to do a lot more work on it soon. It's the usual mixture of free machining the embllisher and some transfered dyed velvet.

This is a one of my "micro" panels. It's probably about the size of an ATC.

I've made a set of four "daisy" pictures, two I had framed up and the other two I mounted on board and packaged in cellophane as unframed pieces. I ended up abandoning trying to frame them myself and sent them to a framer. They make such a good job.The next two photos also come from an unframed piece.

Just a little set for today.

I'm off to see the Mongolian felting exhibition at the Collins Gallery in Glasgow tomorrow. Might manage to visit a few shops as well, oh dear! Poor me!!!

That's it for now,

Byee!

:o)

a little bit of colour...

2008-05-23T10:13:00.000-07:00

... and some close ups! The usual, embellisher, free machining and hand stitching!

Random areas of a little panel.

I like machining with variegated thread although it's sometimes a bit of a hit or a miss getting the right colour in the right place but that's what I like about it, the unpredictability.

Maybe should have turned this photo!

It was nice to work with a bigger range of colours this time.

That's it for now.

Byee! :o)

I wish you could get the wee smiley face the right way round! I like this one with the big nose!! :o)

maximum on flickr...

2008-05-10T13:33:00.000-07:00

... can't remember if I said before but I've run into a flickr maximum of 200 images. I managed to ditch some images that hadn't been viewed the last time but when it said it was a free account I hadn't realised that there was in fact a limit to it. Maybe that was because I failed to read the small print!... Such a shame I was really getting into it. I suppose that I'll have to upgrade to a pro account as I'm running out of images to ditch! Anyway enough mumping and moaning and on to the images. Here are a few I took of the latest flower brooches/pins to go into Funky Scottish...

...I really enjoy making them. They're a bit of fun...

I like to mix the sizes and colours of the beads for the centres.

I found that I had loads of seed beads but not quite enough of the larger ones. I can't quite beleive that I actually had to go and buy some more!! ....... honest they were really needed!

Well that's it for this little batch of close up photos.

Bye for now.

some promised close up photos...

2008-05-06T13:14:00.000-07:00

...some slightly clearer than others! I thought that I needed some more heart cards for the shop. These are a few of the results.

I liked the colours on the one above...even if it's a bit blurry!

....obviously forgot to turn the photo! oops!

...and another one!

Pretty basic, nothing too fancy...

They all have transfer painted velvet hearts with some cable free machining and a few hand stitched kisses!!

That's it for now,

Byee! :o)

From this...

2008-04-30T13:08:00.000-07:00

beginning to an unexpected end result!I followed instructions from a Quilting Arts or a Cloth Paper Scissors magazine, sorry can't remember which one it was.

I embellished muslin onto a velvet base, then felt circles, then some bondaweb...

Holes cut out, somehow didn't really get that part! Then some hot foiling, think I had gone a bit off track by this time! Look you can even see the iron mark. Tsk, tsk a bit careless I think.

I really didn't like the end result. I'm sure that I could have added lots more to it, hand or machine stitching, more embellishing or even some more iron shaped foiling!! However I took the easy option and cut it up, with a purpose of course. I needed some more brooches for the shop and I thought that fish were the answer! I hated the red circles so I managed to cut out a whole heap of fish shapes narrowly avoiding the nasty red! Here are a couple of snippets...

...yes, I know you're supposed to photograph the things before they go into the cellophane packet!!! (think I may have done that before!!)

I've decided that it was meant as the cellophane looks like water..... a bit!

Oops! Just realised that I'd added a little bit of blue wool tops to the finished piece of fabric before I cut it up. You can see a little of it on the fish. (I really must keep a note of what I do to these pieces, it's amazing how quickly I forget). I added some free machining with variegated thread and free machined satin stitch edge. The tail was made from organza and finally a little sequin and seed bead for its eye.

That's it for now, last post for April. I've decided on a theme for next month. It's going to be "close ups"!

Byee!

busy, busy, busy...again!

2008-04-23T13:36:00.000-07:00

...thought that I'd just manage to get a little play in amongst all this busy, busy, busy!!

I've had a little play around with these photos. Can't even remember if I posted this one last time or not. The photo above is the original one.

Anyway, here are the results of some altered photos...

...easy embossing (just press the button!)

...some seriously yummy colours...

...yes there's more!...

...mmm...

Couldn't resist all of these, just had to share. Must have a go with some of my other sploshes and dribbled artwork pieces!

Well that's it for now, maybe some stitching next time...Byeee!

Oops!, just checked and I had posted the original photo in my previous post, sorry!

A busy weekend...

2008-04-14T08:28:00.001-07:00

...I was at a course run by Group XII Textile Artists. Our tutor for the two days was Mary Sleigh. We all had a great time. There's nothing better than slapping a bit of paint around for a whole weekend!! Here are a few photos of some of the work I managed to get through...

... this seemed to crackle because it was quite a wet area and I dried it off with the hairdrier.

...some dribbling and spattering!

..I loved the grids I managed to get. It was amazing how each person achieved a different result.

...some text with acrylic paint dragged over it. Think I'll try more of this as I liked the effect.

I really liked doing this as well, writing into thick paint.

That's it for now.

Byee!

A fishy tail...

2008-04-01T11:26:00.000-07:00

... Hi! Here we are in a new month already! Can hardly believe it. Anyway I promised a reveal on some of the photos from last month. Here are a few from the black and white ones......you can guess what it is now I'm sure!

... three little fishes!...

Here they are, a bundle of black and white fish cushions destined for the shop, in fact they are there already!

Kept it really simple on the back, one piece of fabric and my name label.

Think this design if my favourite. I'm hoping to do more cushions. I think some tartan fish would go really well in Funky Scottish!

That's it for now, oh almost forgot to say I've got some cushions in the current edition of Classic Stitches magazine (ISSUE 86). There are lots of lovely things in this issue including an article on my City & Guilds tutor and her friend who is also an embroidery tutor!

I'll dig out some photos and add them to my next post.

Bye for now.

25th March...

2008-03-25T02:11:00.000-07:00

...day 10! oops, obviously there is no way that I can do a post a day!

Anyway I'm here now and actually 10 posts in one month is probably a record for me anyway.

I've been busy at the shop/gallery I was in this weekend, lots of people browsing! Mind you it was really cold in the wind with a flurry of snow now and again probably keeping most people cozy indoors!
I'm going down soon as a Tuesday is going to be my day for now, we will also be open again this weekend as there are open studios in Pittenweem (29th and 30th March).

Here are a few images of a couple of little panels that I've just put in the shop. I've float mounted them onto board and wrapped them in cellophane.

...thankfully I remembered to take the photos before I wrapped them!

... this one was just a bit of fun I was wanting to use a piece of tweed that I had. I used the embellisher to work the "plantpot" but I'm not sure if that was a good idea or not. I'd worked it from the back and it has covered a lot of the tweed. It's given it a softer look.

No matter, sometimes you just have to try a thing to see if it'll work or not.

Anyway, that's it for now, got to go,

Byeee!

13th March...

2008-03-13T09:11:00.001-07:00

... I can now reveal some work I did for Classic stitches magazine as it has now been published. These are some of the pictures I took of the three covered notebooks before I sent them in. To check out more photos or how to make them then check out -
CLASSIC STITCHES ISSUE No. 85

For this piece I used some of my hand dyed fabric ( obviously a different batch from Saturdays dyeing session!)

...It was lovely digging out the old embroidery trimmings to use on this one. I never thought that I'd use any of them but I thought that they went really well with the patchwork fabric and the hand stitching.

I couched down the ribbon in the shape of a bow and added beaded edges to this one.

This one was mostly made up from vintage fabric. I suppose we can class old Laura Ashley fabric as vintage!

...The hand dyed one again with its mixture of buttons.

That's all folks, bye for now!

10th March...

2008-03-10T14:32:00.000-07:00

...day eight!...

...This is what I was doing on Saturday... Somehow I think you can guess what I was doing!

... how come you never see the thread going right across the photo when you are taking it!! Then you forget to turn the photo before you upload it!!...mutter, mutter...

... a little bit of shaded dying....

...and some graduated dyeing...

...and some space dyeing. How about the silk velvet, don't you just love it!

Actually I don't think the photos really do the colours justice.

This was a class run by my branch of the Embroiderers' Guild.

A big thank you to Dorothy who took the class, it was a great day, we learnt a lot and all had a great time. Thanks!

Moira

...mmm... now what am I going to do with all this lovely fabric?!*:-)

9th March...

2008-03-09T13:14:00.001-07:00

...this is day seven, already lagging behind. Anyway here is a continuation from the last post!
As you can see I was playing around with some Lutrador. My sister brought it over from Australia with her last year and we had a little play with it I know that I can get it here but it was fun. I never got round to writing up the notes so hope I get this right. The photo above shows the Lutrador bonded onto two pieces of felt and one piece of calico, some free machining and a blast of hot air!
We continued with the samples by trying out the soldering iron as well. I liked the way you can draw with it and get more defined holes and patterns.

The black and red on the left is one of my Indian wood printing blocks (still with the red paint on it!) this was printed onto the yellow felt before the Lutrador was bonded on. We added some free machining echoing the wood block design.

This was the result once it was blasted with the hot air tool along with the photo from my last post (it had some cable free machining as well) .

I suppose you could go on to add some hand stitching and beading but I think I'll just keep it as a sample. I may try and melt it again to reveal more of the red stamping below.

That's it for now.

Byee!

6th March...

2008-03-06T11:47:00.001-08:00

...sorry folks I'm having difficulty uploading photos at the moment so I'll leave this one, the only one I've managed to upload. I'll give out the info about it tomorrow along with the rest of the photos... I hope!

Before I go a big thank you for yesterday's comments I was thinking that maybe this hadn't been a good idea trying to post as often but it's nice to know that people appreciate it even if it is only a few images. Thanks again.

Moira

5th March...

2008-03-05T07:35:00.000-08:00

Day five... a vintage day!

... I love old mother of pearl buttons and vintage linen.

Byee!

4th March...

2008-03-04T08:19:00.000-08:00

day four. Oh I'm enjoying this. Make the most of it though because I might not make it all the way!

a couple of vintage buttons.

I might add a few different photos here and there to pad things out i.e. images from my button collection or maybe some of my vintage embroidered cloths.

Byee!

3rd March...

2008-03-03T13:08:00.000-08:00

...day three... these are probably easier to guess.

...some embellished sheers and machine embroidery using my favourite, variegated thread.

...some muslin and wool tops lurking in here...

...some trashed eyelash yarn, at least that's what I call it once the embellisher has had a go at it. The centre is a fine silk.

...a bit of the old glitz!... sequins and beads...

...obviously a bit more carried away with the machine embroidery on this one.

Oh well, that's it for now

Byee.

See you tomorrow!

2nd March...

2008-03-02T14:41:00.001-08:00

...day two... I've decided to make this a month of little tasters with a reveal at the end of the month... or at least that's what I'll try to do!

...for the shop...

... caught in the light...

That's it...can you guess what it is yet?!!!

Byeee.

Moira

Yoo Hoo! ... I'm back!!!!!...

2008-03-01T14:41:00.000-08:00

... I'm so sorry that I've not been around lately. I've been really busy with lots of exciting stuff. I can now let you all know that I've got exhibition space in a shop called Funky Scottish in Pittenweem, Fife, Scotland ( if you didn't know where that was!). Anyway I'll give out some more information soon along with some images from the gallery/shop.

I'm going to be involved in setting up stitch/embroidery classes there soon as well. They'll probably be day classes. All will be revealed once I get things worked out.

I've put together a selection of pictures to make up for my absence...

I had originally stitched the flower shape with a blue thread but it didn't show up well so I went over it with a cable stitch...

...added some hand stitching...

and it's done. Still lurking around in a basket!

...little bits of hand dyed fabric (cotton, muslin velvet), machine embroidery and some hand stitching.

Had an idea that I would have made this one into a brooch (pin) but that's as far as it got now it's just another one lounging around in a basket!

...I just love hand dyed muslin!... another basket case!

...some more hand dyed fabrics, machine and hand stitching with a few beads this time. I really must use these one of these days!

Now for a few photos of some more heart brooches I was making for the shop...

This was the fabric I made, layers of sheers and free machining ...

...a few close ups...

I was trying to get a tartan feel to the fabric.

The hearts cut out ready for some hand stitching and beads.

...Just my initials, honest!!

... getting a bit carried away..., funny thing is I don't put these labels on the brooches!

All just a bit of fun... here is the finished article. Can't sell this one as I slipped up on the back when I was doing the satin stitch. Oh dear that means I'll just have to keep it! Lucky for me I quite liked this one!!
...the close up photos are a bit clearer.

One last photo which I thought was pretty neat..... blanket stitched sky!!!

Trust me it did look like stitching!

That's it for now. I had a wild notion to post some thing every day in March to make up for being away and to make it worth while if you dropped by. Maybe I shouldn't make any rash promises!!

Well, I might give it a go, even if it's just a picture a day. Mmmm, better get the camera batteries charged...now where did I put the charger!!!***

That's it for now, byeeee!

Moira

A little brooch for Christmas...

2008-01-23T04:11:00.000-08:00

... yes I know that it's past the time and all that but I thought I'd let you see what I'd made to wear to a Christmas dinner. I used a piece of the original bottlecap pincushions fabric added another piece of felt on the back by way of the embellisher some beads and hand stitching.

A very vague Christmas tree theme in there somewhere.
Anyway I'll leave you with a sunset from the other night.

I dashed out and took a photo and then remembered that my camera had a setting for dawn/dusk pictures. The very thing, only trouble is that I can't remember which one is which. I think the first one is more realistic but because I have more photos the pinky colour then I think that may be with the sunset setting. No matter, just thought that it was interesting.

That's all for now. I'm away to upload them on flickr, yes, I'm still geting lost in flickr!!

Byee!

A stroll beside a loch...

2008-01-13T12:32:00.000-08:00

...the sun shone for a while before the mist appeared. This is a picture of the sun!
...before the mist...

...a frosty day!...

... a frozen loch...

...love all the shapes...

... a little spot of ice skating!...

... add a few ripples or maybe tucks...but what's this?...An alien craft perhaps!! HELP!

I thought that it was pretty neat and judging from the footprints so did someone else before me. mmm...wonder where their photo will turn up! Here it is again in all its glory.

... a wonderful and inspiring afternoon stroll.

Bye for now!

Happy New Year...

2008-01-03T02:03:00.001-08:00

...this is this years work so far! You know when you just need to sit down and do something creative even when you don't really have time for it. Well I had one of these moments yesterday. This is the result. A little bottlecap pincushion, fabric, stitch and buttons. What more can a girl ask for!!...

The following photos are the Christmas ornaments I made for friends ...

... some embellished fabric......and all the trimmings...

...bells, beads and sequins...

.... and here she is another funky angel, this time a bit bigger than my other ones.

Back view.

More embellished fabric...With added stitch and beading...

...before the finishing touches, front and back view...
...some wire beads and bells...

...here it is...finished!

From the back!

A little bit of packaging and done deal!

That's it for now if you want to see more pictures from these projects I'll be putting them on my flickr pages (link on side bar).

Have a good day.

Moira.

LOST IN FLICKR....

2007-12-18T13:41:00.000-08:00

sorry about the absence. I've been spending some time setting up some of my photos on flickr (use the link here or the photos on the side bar). I've added more from some that I've blogged about previously.

Don't seem to have done very much stitching lately but am now on the last minute dash to make some gifts for friends. I'll post a picture once they have received their gift.

I'll leave you now with a couple of gifts given last year, or maybe it was the year before, can't remember. Anyway, here are a couple of angels...

Hope that you all have a very happy Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Moira

Demise of a roller...

2007-11-29T11:43:00.000-08:00

... a much loved roller came to an end on my last little project.

I really like using these foam rollers they work especially well painting Bondaweb as long as you don't press too hard.

Anyway, I thought that I would share a few last images of the roller ... Bye...

...and along came the bus!...

Explanation - I wanted to send a special thank you to a friend who is mad about books. She also likes altered books but can't bring herself to deface a book. Thou shalt not draw on a book! I seem to recall from the past....Anyway I decided to start her off, gently of course , on a kids board book bought from a charity shop.

So here, by way of an altered board book, is her thank you...

Starting with all the pages being sanded back then a light layer of gesso painted on.

A layer of thicker paint with scrunched cling film placed on top whilst wet. Allowed to dry then the cling film removed leaving a lovely surface.

Sponge roller used to apply acrylic paint to foam letters. Some printed more than once to give paler letters and some overprinted.

( I know that this might sound all a bit too obvious but I think it's good to record the techniques used ) .

A few punched shapes from pre-painted papers glued down with some diluted PVA glue.

Some more shapes with a little metallic rub-ons, like treasure gold.

Yummy tissue paper, I love the kind you get from Paperchase. This, of course, is one of them.

This one is not but I liked the idea of the text, not that you can see it after all the scrunching up!

...some more punched shapes...

Then the reason for the whole thing...the thank you!

...That's all folks!...

Other than to say that I've given my friend instructions that it is her book now to do with as she pleases, alter it in any way including covering up all or some of what I've done, including the "Thank you".

From her response I think she was pleased.

OK, that's it for now,

Byee.....

A step further...

2007-11-07T06:03:00.000-08:00

from my last post. I had cut off the end of the embellished fabric but hadn't known what to do with it or even where I was really going with the original piece...
...Pause....
I was looking at a comment made on one of my posts, I do check them all and visit their sites even if I don't directly comment. Thanks by the way for taking the time to comment everyone and to those who don't comment, thanks for visiting.
Anyway I have now realised that I have no idea how I came by the bottlecap pincushion tutorial so sorry I can't link to you but I can link to the actual tutorial on flickr .
The whole point of all this is that I decided to use up the excess embellished fabric on some of the bottlecaps that I've been collecting recently... I knew that they'd come in handy eventually!
Here are the results...

...decided that I would just let you feast your eyes on these...

I may add a little more stitching and beads on some.

I had been having a dilemma as to what embroidery stitch I would use and in the end I just went for simple running stitch and a herringbone stitch. Sometimes the simpler the stitch then the bettter the result. (Yes, there is a bottlecap in the base of each one!)

Anyway, hope you've enjoyed looking as much as I've enjoyed making them.

Watch this space, I definitely feel that there are more on the horizon!

Byee!

Inspired...

2007-11-04T14:37:00.000-08:00

...by Jean Littlejohn's work in the recent Stitch magazine and also some of the resulting vessels especially purplemissus and her dressels......purple felt with acrylic painted bondaweb from my stash...

...some foiling...used for some other project...obviously...

...some merino tops...(sorry about the photo)

...I added a navy chiffon scarf then embellished all over adding a few synthetic sheers as I went.

...a quick rub with some yummy Stewart Gill paints then a blast from the heat tool.

...the usual close ups...

...and again.

Some further embellishing on the reverse, a few tucks along the top and a metallic organza caught in place between the two side edges.

There is no base in the piece but thought that it looked interesting. Once I can get my thinking cap on I may be able to work one out before I start... Oh I mean design it!

I like it both ways...

... I had added a small piece of sheer and tops on the reverse which you can just see in this picture.

...yes, some more close ups...

...would like to see some stitching on this kind of surface.
...liked this bit!

Anyway thats all for now, byeee.

Crafting...

2007-10-25T09:44:00.000-07:00

An embellished angel, of course!...

...some bonded...

... up close and personal...

...team photo!

Some Christmas cards.

...the usual close up photos, sorry about the shadows. I really need to work on these photos!

They're destined for Abernethy. Hope they go down well!

That's all for now,

Byee.

Hi there!

2007-10-19T13:36:00.000-07:00

Still here! I've been playing with my embellisher again. This time trying to put together a few little pieces for a craft fair in Abernethy, Scotland of course and no it's not the biscuits! It's on the 27th October. Running out of time again as usual.

These are to go on A5 mountboard as unframed pieces. I got carried away and took rather a lot of pictures. I should probably put them on flickr... I may just do that later on.

...some close up shots...
...embellished with wool tops (at last!)...

...and some hand stitching...

...some embellishing on the reverse gave some areas a fuzzy look...

...think I'll call it a misty look!...

..the mist rolls in from the sea...mmm, heard that before, somewhere!...

...I then had a weird notion to photograph some of my pieces laid on a catalogue...

...certainly a different result...

...mmm...

...no idea where I was going with this idea...

...maybe back to plain backgrounds from now on...

...no, this one was just a fuzzy picture, sorry... maybe some of the other ones were as well. Don't know what I was doing.

That's it folks,

Bye for now.
P.S. Just thought I'd have lots of dots on this post!... ... ... ...

Quilt Fair...

2007-10-01T01:53:00.000-07:00

went to the Edinburgh Quilt Fair on Friday saw lots of lovely quilts. As usual I spent far too much on fabric and books. Not that I really needed the fabric or the books.... No I did need the books!!

The Painted Quilt by Linda & Laura Kemshall (ISBN-10:0-7153-2449-7) an absolute must!!

Sew Pretty Homestyle ( ISBN-10:0-7153-2749-6) a Tilda book seriously yummy eye candy.

I would have posted a picture of the front cover but I'm not sure about copyright.
Did you know that there was a Tilda Addict blog?

I'm thinking, maybe I need a craft blog as well...I love to do so many varied things. A bit of a drawback sometime.

Found some images of a piece of fabric making I'd done a wee while ago. Thought I'd share it with you...

Some of the highlight machining on the brown flowers have gone a bit wonky...

Bye for now.

embellishing away...

2007-09-23T14:51:00.000-07:00

Did this several days ago, not sure if it was much of a success. Sorry about the photos , some of them are not as clear as they should be. I cut out a few of the circles to reveal the background felt (commercial felt), then reapplied them.Think I might add some beads in the green felt circles.

I applied sheer fabric and fine silk along with some fancy yarn, then added the usual free machining.

Not sure what I'm going to do with these pieces yet, maybe a roll up pouch or bookcover.

I've still to try some wool tops but I put them up in the loft and can't be bothered getting them out, how lazy! I will soon as I want to see the results from fleece.

Thought I'd leave you with a picture of my drawers... my thread drawers of course!! I love seeing those racks on the wall with all the machine threads neatly stacked.

Somehow I don't see me managing them that way!

Bye for now.